MORE CRICKET - ULCA - Giri century blasts Redbacks past Kingower

"JUST one of those days where everything goes your way and you have a bit of luck."

That's how Spring Gully's Alex Sutton summed up his stunning bowling performance against Mandurang in the Emu Valley Cricket Association on Saturday.

Sutton ripped through the Rangas, taking 7-5 off seven overs, which included a hat-trick in Mandurang's innings of a meagre 40.

Sutton was introduced into the attack in the 12^th over with the Rangas 2-19 and immediately made his mark.

After a dot ball with his first delivery Sutton then struck consecutively three times to take his hat-trick, removing Shaun Candy (lbw), James Pietromonaco (caught Rhys Webb) and Sean Rashleigh (lbw).

The catch of captain Pietromonaco (0), who was coming off 98 the previous round, was a superb one-hander by Webb at short cover off a full toss, while on the hat-trick ball Rashleigh (0) didn't play a shot and was struck on the pads.

"I had been on a hat-trick a few days earlier in the Twenty20 game against Axe Creek and I bowled a full toss. I didn't want to bowl another full toss, I wanted it to be full and straight," Sutton said.

"I landed it where I wanted and got the lbw, which was good."

Sutton was immediately beseiged by his team-mates, who jumped all over him in celebration, but that was only the beginning.

Another two wickets followed in Sutton's fourth and seventh overs as he added Adam Lalor (4), Joseph Pezzelato (4), Lachlan Nemet (0) and Bailey Rashleigh (0) to his list of scalps.

Sutton had to leave the game early at 3pm for a wedding, but the Crows had already wrapped up the innings by then, with the shellshocked Rangas bowled out in just 24 overs.

"It was just one of those days where everything goes your way and you have a bit of luck. I didn't do anything different today or during the week, but everything just clicked," Sutton said.

"You've got to appreciate days like today because you have plenty where it doesn't go your way."

After being in early trouble of their own at 2-6, the Crows went to stumps with a lead of 238 - a telling outcome given the possibility of next week being heated out - after closing play at 6-278.

Veteran Shaun Makepeace wound the clock back with a blistering 107 off 90 with 16 fours and three sixes, while Lachlan Brook made his fourth score of the season in the 70s with a knock of 79.

* West Bendigo's Travis O'Connell cracked the second double century of his career and in doing so, set a new Redbacks' record score.

Opener O'Connell carried his bat, finishing 235 n.o. in the Redbacks' 6-359 against California Gully.

The 41-year-old surpassed what had been the club's previous record score that he had already held of 208 n.o. against United two seasons ago.

O'Connell was dropped twice before he had reached 30 and was on 66 at tea before unleashing after the break.

"Our aim was to get to the tea break with as many wickets in the shed as we could and I then decided to attack afterwards," O'Connell said.

"Gary Singh (38), who I've batted a lot with in the past, usually outscores me, but this time the roles were reversed."

O'Connell and Singh added 144 for the fourth wicket.

Despite his cautious start before tea, O'Connell almost finished with a strike rate of 100, with his 235 coming off 239 balls, while he scored 168 of his runs through a combination of fours (27) and sixes (10).

O'Connell's double ton came on the back of scoring just 34 runs in his previous four innings.

"I just seem to be finding ways to get out; I just needed to get my eye in a bit more and start playing my shots, which is where I've let myself down over the past six weeks," O'Connell said.

"Hopefully, that's now behind me."

Jeremy Blencowe with 2-89 off 17 overs was the only multiple wicket-taker for the Cobras.

* Emu Creek opener Luke Bennett scored his second ton of the season and already has two wickets as well against Axe Creek.

The Emus made a quickfire 6-255 declared off 55 overs, which featured 109 to Bennett.

Bennett and Brent Downie (67) put on 132 for the first wicket, while Simon Marwood later sent the ball flying all around JG Edwards Oval with 56 off just 30 balls featuring nine fours and two sixes.

Dean Comensoli picked up 4-80 for the Cowboys, who are already under the pump in their chase at 2-50, with Bennett (2-18) having taken both wickets.

* United has 9-232 to defend against Sedgwick in the match of the round.

Patrick Hartney (55) continued his good form with a third-consecutive half-century, while Jayde Mullane (41), Joe Hartney (46) and Jakob Van Dalen (44) also ticked the runs over.

A week after making 125 n.o. against Mandurang Dooley Niemann was bowled by Jordan Ilsley (3-3) for a second-ball duck.

* Marong clawed its way to 196 against Maiden Gully.

Scott Ross batted for 190 minutes in compiling 77 with 10 boundaries and was part of stands of more than 50 with David Blume (20) and Duane Anderson (39).

Maiden Gully's Rob Brown produced his best bowling performance of the season with 4-41.

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